Fiil Carat Pro – A Reason to Get Fit

As a competitive swimmer my first trip into audio was copying my hero Michael Phelps and getting a pair of Beats. With the help of Josh and a desire for more, I soon found that audio reproduction can be MUCH better. Look where we are now.

Why Go Pro

Now you may have been wondering why you should get the pro version over the standard version. Especially if you have noticed that it is $150 less at just $99! Now while the Diva and Diva Pro had much more subtle differences and the same sound quality, the two Carats distinctions are much more prevalent. One of the decisions I am a big fan of is that these will actually sound different, with them not talking about what driver (I presume a small dynamic) is in the standard while they are very boastful of the vented Knowles armature in the Pro with a Saati acoustic filter. Beyond that, it lacks the heart rate monitor, voice search and 4GB storage.

BA For Bassy Armature

Both Josh and I had the same first impression of this. That was god, these have some serious bass. It was certainly not what we expected from a single balanced armature, normally not known for great end to end extension or the ability to provide sub bass. These certainly slay that stigma because boy do they get deep. Our second thoughts were that they also sound good. After we have just slugged it through all the stuff going on with these earphone you would let these off for slipping up in sound quality just a tad but no, they are still on the ball. Ok, I wouldn’t go as far as saying these will be going head to head with the best sub $300 IEMs but with all things considered the sound really is the finishing touch to a great product. You will soon forget these are wireless that is for sure!

The thumping bass is complimented by a rich and lush midrange and a more gentle treble. I guess we still don’t have the full frequency response handled perfectly from a single armature but I really do think that you want a bigger, bassier signature for when working out, it engages and motivates you. I am still in awe to this day by the low end. It has such a satisfying weight to it and does so without being sloppy. The biggest effect it has would be a slight numbing of the lower midrange. Male vocals seem a bit more restrained than they would like to be. That being said focussing back on the bass and it moves air impressively well for a BA. There is a port next to the sound bore, maybe that is the secret. It rumbles sensationally, listening Alt-Js new track 3WW is a real testament to that! The only other brand to get near as magical a bass response with a single BA would be Final Audio!

Mids are as I have said a little restrained in male vocals and lower mids. They are released from their shackles as the got up in frequency with a sweet and pleasurable upper midrange. The rather lush vibe in the midrange probably comes from a longer note decay. It isn’t the most refined sound or the quickest but it is an uplifting midrange. It would be described as close to forward and while technically not close to something such as Dunu’s DN-2000J, it is plenty enjoyable in this area.

The treble is the first area we really see the reason why a lot of brands opt for more than one driver to cover all frequencies. The high frequencies do roll off compared to the dynamic drivers or multi BAs you can get for this money but it does work with the rest of the sonic presentation. In fact, the calmer feel it has sat behind the powerful bass and lush mids makes for an easy flowing listen that won’t fatigue. It does still lack air as a consequence and that is not ideal as this does have a smaller soundstage. In fact, the sound is a very in your head display. Using the Fiil+ app you can turn on one of their ‘3D Sound’ settings which do disperse the sound wider but don’t hold onto the centre image very well, making the sound very much split between the two channels.

Round 2 KO

Fiil is a company that excite me. Everything I have got from then is novel and new. I want to show friends who are audiophiles and regular folk alike and both meet me wth similar enthusiasm to the cool features. These are an earphone that sounds good enough should you want a decent wireless experience and then offer so much more if you are a keen gym junkie. It is a bass-driven sound signature so that is also worth baring in mind but should you not mind an extra helping of whollop, you will probably get on well with the sonics.

While there is no doubt some things do need polishing in the app and with some features (voice control) right now, since we have enough time before release for them to polish the edges I think should you purchase this you will have the complete end game experience for a wireless sports earphone!